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What is a medical collections specialist and how to become one
Medical collections specialists are responsible for the timely and accurate tracking of payments, denials, and adjustments on the patient's outstanding accounts receivables via phone and or electronic contact with the payer. They ensure that precise and detailed notes will be documented in the patient's ledge of action taken. They also enter information in the ledger's appropriate fields for the information to be uploaded overnight to reports.
Medical collections specialists earn an average salary of $35,000 annually or $17 per hour. Their functions are related to the collection of payment on patient accounts, and their duties are generally assigned on a primary basis, but all personnel are cross-trained. They communicate directly with patients regarding their financial responsibility and establish payment arrangements per company policy. A great medical collections specialist possesses excellent listening, negotiating, and speaking skills.
Medical collections specialists typically hold a bachelor's degree in business or a related field. They are expected to have some years of experience as a collection specialist or a similar role. Some employers prefer candidates who understand reimbursement payment practices, including deductibles, co-insurance, and contractual discounts.
Avg. Salary $36,249
Avg. Salary $59,228
Growth rate -8%
Growth rate 0.3%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.49%
Asian 3.67%
Black or African American 12.85%
Hispanic or Latino 20.80%
Unknown 4.08%
White 58.12%
Genderfemale 80.50%
male 19.50%
Age - 46American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%
Asian 7.00%
Black or African American 14.00%
Hispanic or Latino 19.00%
White 57.00%
Genderfemale 47.00%
male 53.00%
Age - 46Stress level is high
7.1 - high
Complexity level is intermediate
7 - challenging
Work life balance is good
6.4 - fair
Medical collections specialist career paths
Key steps to become a medical collections specialist
Explore medical collections specialist education requirements
Start to develop specific medical collections specialist skills
Skills Percentages Patients 19.11% Healthcare 14.41% Medical Collections 7.35% Medicaid 5.32% Patient Accounts 5.00% Complete relevant medical collections specialist training and internships
Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New medical collections specialists learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a medical collections specialist based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real medical collections specialist resumes.Research medical collections specialist duties and responsibilities
- Manage accounts for healthcare clients, review detailed patient information for payment resolution while abiding HIPPA privacy and security regulations.
- Job duties include collecting on HMO, PPO, Medicare, and HMO Medicaid.
- Work directly with Medicare and HMO Medicaid plans, and statewide HMO/PPO/POS plans.
- Reprocess denied medical claims using extensive appeal tactics or special appeals processing instructions for commercial and government carriers.
Prepare your medical collections specialist resume
When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your medical collections specialist resume.
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Choose from 10+ customizable medical collections specialist resume templates
Build a professional medical collections specialist resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your medical collections specialist resume.
Apply for medical collections specialist jobs
Now it's time to start searching for a medical collections specialist job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:
- Browse job boards for relevant postings
- Consult your professional network
- Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
- Watch out for job scams
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Average medical collections specialist salary
The average medical collections specialist salary in the United States is $36,249 per year or $17 per hour. Medical collections specialist salaries range between $30,000 and $43,000 per year.
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Updated January 8, 2025
